


happily ever after

by chickenfetus



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, M/M, Not A Fix-It, most characters are mentioned in passing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 23:53:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13775262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chickenfetus/pseuds/chickenfetus
Summary: thomas experiences all sorts of emotions throughout his journey and newt is there by his side the whole time.(until he isn't.)





	happily ever after

**Author's Note:**

> technically a canon rewrite because i took out/added some things to fit the story more. it's based on the movies so if you expect stuff from the books, i apologize.
> 
> unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine, enjoy reading.

**i. hope**  
newt had told him that one day he'd be happy, and that it'd be _happily ever after_.

 

 **ii. surprise**  
the first person who'd spoken to him was newt, tall yet lean and all skin and bones. thomas doubted his capabilities at first, wondering what a skinny guy like newt was doing in the glade.

and then he remembered nobody had a choice, they were _put_ there and he mentally slapped himself. 

his opinion of newt changed over time, although it seemed like it took a day before thomas realized he was more than his first impression. newt was smart - intelligent even, and had a heart of gold. 

despite his limp, newt showed thomas around carefully, and was the nicest to him. maybe because he _had_ to be as the one who showed the new people (‘greenies’, they were called, _he_ was called) around but thomas likes to think newt is nice because he wants to be. 

 

 **iii. reflection**  
newt had grown from a mentor to a friend, and then to thomas’ _best friend_ , alongside minho. whenever he had doubted himself, whenever he was starting to lose hope, newt would always be there to give him a pat on the back and then a shove to push him onwards. to where happily ever after waited. 

thomas would either look for newt to talk to or he’d go to him. it was as if newt could read his mind, could tell when he was feeling particularly hopeless. before thomas knew it, he’d be back on his feet again, more determined than ever. 

he’d get them to paradise, to where they belonged. 

 

 **iv. remorse**  
paradise came. and left, just as quickly. thomas thought he'd done it, brought them to where safety was, to where they'd be happy. instead, he brought disaster - another death, chuck, who didn't deserve to die so soon. it was a trap, and thomas had led them there. 

they escaped, and thomas felt like he had redeemed himself, just a little. it didn't quite stop the guilt from consuming him whole as he thought about chuck, coming to his rescue every time he closed his eyes. it didn't stop him from seeing the smiles on his friend’s faces drop when they realized they had been set up. the guilt just kept on _coming_.

until newt. until newt came to his aid. they were walking on the sand, the desert never ending. thomas had lagged behind to stay with newt, because he wasn't going to lose anybody else. 

“you know it’s not your fault right?” thomas’ mind froze, though physically he trudged on. 

refusing to look at newt, he kept his eyes fixed on the group ahead since it would be bad if they lost sight of them. thomas could feel newt staring at him, but he didn't want to confirm his suspicion. 

patient as ever, newt kept his arm around his waist and even though thomas held most of their weight, it felt like newt was the one supporting him just like he always did. 

they weren't going to reach the end, or civilization - whichever came first anytime soon and if thomas didn't talk about it now, he might never get another chance. 

“i know,” thomas said, the urge to bring his head down in shame was present, but he fought it. he had to take responsibility. 

if they weren't walking on sand, and trying their best to keep up with the group ahead, thomas was sure newt would have stopped them just to have a proper conversation. newt was always the glue of the team, but thomas thought newt fit being their ( _his_ ) pillar of support better. 

a sandstorm brewed before newt could answer so they continued on in silence, mask covering their faces. 

 

 **v. affirmation**  
“we believe in you, tommy. _you_ are the reason we are free from the maze, from the glade. so keep going, because we will follow you anywhere.” newt had declared when they were out of the sandstorm, sitting on a log in front of a fire. “and so we can’t give up, _you_ can’t give up. i won’t let you.” 

thomas had expected words of comfort, he was ready for it. turns out hours of preparation didn't help much as he started crying. he wouldn't consider himself a hero, definitely not a leader either. yet, everyone wanted to follow _him_? it seemed impossible but the words of encouragement - which sounded more like a fact with the way newt had phrased it, made thomas feel more reassured than ever. 

that night, he laid his head in the crook of newt’s neck, and cried until his head hurt, until his throat was drier than the desert they found themselves in. newt never left, he stayed with thomas as they watched the stars and then later, the sun rise. 

newt had even gone as far as to give thomas his share of water so he wouldn't dehydrate in the harsh weather. 

thomas didn't deserve to have a friend like newt and he was eternally grateful to him. always. later that day, he swore to himself that he'd get newt to paradise - no matter what. 

 

 **vi. indignation**  
disaster comes again when minho gets separated from them. wckd had found them and took him away. they were no longer the three mighty gladers, it wasn't the same without minho. 

thomas couldn't help it when he started blaming himself again. wasn't wckd after him? why would they take his friends, always his friends. he couldn't bear to think about what would happen if newt was taken away too. 

hence they formed a plan. a plan that'd guarantee minho back to them. it took months, and over the course of those few months, newt supported their current team. like a leader, reminiscent of how alby was like. 

there'd be a train, holding more than a hundred of people who'd been captured by wckd to use. as much as they wanted to, they couldn't afford to help all of them, so the only carriage they needed was the one minho would be in. 

it seemed perfect, and it was. they'd successfully gotten hold of the carriage minho was in - was _supposed_ to be in. 

nothing ever seemed to go thomas’ way, _their_ way. they got the wrong carriage. brenda put a hand onto his shoulder and shook her head, reminding him that at least they managed to save some innocent people despite their failure. 

although it helped, thomas didn't feel that much better. he was anxious, he could see newt was anxious. 

newt had told him, a day before the plan was to be carried out that minho gave him a second chance. he’d jumped off one of the walls in the maze, attempting to kill himself. it didn't quite work out, evidently, newt had chuckled, no real ounce of joy present. 

however, before he could rot away, minho had found newt. he'd carried him all the way back to the glade and gave newt a chance to restart. 

that's when thomas found out just how important minho was to newt, and possibly to everybody. 

 

 **vii. anger; trust**  
with that in mind, thomas surged forward to one of the boys they saved and shouted, “where is he? _where the fuck is minho_?” 

he knew it was scaring the boy, his eyes widening as thomas’ voiced raised. another yell was ready to be belted out, if not for newt’s hand on his shoulder. 

“thomas - _tommy_ , calm down.” 

turning to look at newt, thomas saw how sad newt looked, shaking his head. he relaxed, only because newt was asking him to calm down, because newt - who was - _is_ , minho’s best friend doesn't even get a chance to feel frustrated because he has to keep thomas in check. 

newt, whose eyes desperately flickered back and forth between faces back in the carriage, searching for a sign of familiarity. newt, who owed his _life_ to minho.

thomas wanted to let self-pity consume him then, because there were other people hurting, others feeling far more frustrated. yet, said people - person, had to take care of thomas because he couldn't control his own feelings. instead, thomas used those heavy sighs and sad eyes as motivation. he’d definitely get minho back.

with a new sort of urgency in his voice, he pleaded, _begged_ them to go to the last city - where minho was probably held captive. vince had rejected the rushed mission, pointing out how they didn't even have a plan. thomas couldn't even find it in himself to feel angry, because it was reasonable. so he let it be. 

of course, thomas was ever the reckless one and packed his bags in secret that same night, prepared to leave all of them in order to get minho back. after all, minho had helped him too. 

a silent goodbye (especially to newt, hidden away in his heart) and he turned towards the car. which almost led to him punching the one person he was truly going to miss. 

newt was standing there, all dressed up and ready to go. thomas fought down a blush that'd only appear whenever he was present and tried to form words. 

“wh… what?” it wasn't his best, not like he took any speech lessons back in the glade anyway but it still made him sound like a complete fool. 

“we’re not letting you go alone, thomas.” newt let out a small laugh, pointing towards the front seat. 

_frypan_. thomas was touched, really. they were the last few gladers left, teresa joined wckd, the rest of their friends from the glade had unfortunately passed. they weren't going to let another one of them go without a fight. 

they left, thomas giving terrible directions based on the map. when they reached the tunnel that'd supposedly lead them to where the last city was, they'd hesitated. 

“tommy, if i were a crank, i'd probably be in there.” newt had warned, eyebrow raised. 

he knew full well that was plausible, and most likely the case. still, they couldn't let a few infected humans get in their way, they had a mission - a goal. 

thus, they re-entered the car, newt reassuring frypan to go slow and steady. it'd failed five minutes in when a crank looked in their direction and gave chase. 

obviously leading to a hundred cranks appearing from nowhere to terrorize them and with a stroke of bad luck that seemed to follow thomas _everywhere_ , their car overturned. 

thankfully, brenda and jorge came to their rescue, running over a few more cranks on the way out of the tunnel. thomas felt actual hope rise in his heart as they made their way towards the walls, encasing the last city.

 

 **viii. hatred; relief**  
somehow, gally was still alive and even though thomas never liked his ugly face, he'd felt relieved seeing another one of them alive. though that brief relief wasn't enough to stop thomas from remembering what happened. 

the same exact scene from earlier reoccurred, and it felt like deja vu. thomas pushed gally down, shouting. 

“you killed chuck!” he'd roared, gally under him. 

thomas saw red and punched him - as long as he had someone other than himself to blame for the death of his young friend he didn't care for the consequences. 

a familiar hand on his shoulder drags him back, and thomas stumbles at the strength. 

“bloody hell thomas, get a grip.” that voice. newt was talking, and he sounded really angry. 

thomas stopped himself from landing another hit on gally, solely because of newt’s tone. it was admittedly, scary as shit. he rarely raised his voice, especially when talking to thomas. 

“tommy, please.” newt’s eyes were dark with fury, yet they shone with a hint of desperation. 

the tense atmosphere had been the last thing thomas wanted, so he dropped his arm to his side and walked back to where his friends were. 

he hung his head, glaring at his shoes as gally explained their situation and what their group stood for. 

gally, as terrible as he may be, managed to persuade their group’s leader into letting them take a look at the city, beyond the walls. there, they could take a look at wckd’s building through a telescope. if times were different, thomas was sure it'd be counted as stalking and an invasion of privacy. 

his heart skipped a beat upon seeing teresa, safe and sound (but still a traitor) walking around what seemed like a lab. 

thomas wondered if the feeling of eyes on him was part of his imagination, and he chided himself for wishing they were newt’s. 

unsure of his own feelings, thomas stood away from the telescope to let newt take a look and he looked up at the sky, silently asking for an answer. 

 

 **ix. doubt; shock**  
later that night, they regrouped and started thinking of a plan to infiltrate into wckd’s building. according to gally, there was security everywhere and they had to get someone to let them in. 

when they mentioned using teresa, thomas fell silent. he could feel everyone’s eyes turn to him - teresa remembered thomas, back when she first came up from the box and it was obvious there was something special between them.

murmurs and mutters were passed around, everyone discussing the safety of his _girlfriend_ and why thomas wasn't willing to trick teresa. thomas stood against the wall, unsure of what to say. 

he only snapped out of it when he felt himself getting pushed against the wall, and saw newt’s face impossibly close to his. 

when thomas daydreamed of it happening, he didn't think there'd be this much hateful yelling. 

“ _don’t lie to me_ ,” newt had hissed. 

trapped between newt and the wall, thomas didn't know how to react, he hadn't said a single word throughout the whole meeting and knew everyone expected him to say something. he just couldn't. 

newt snapped out of whatever trance he was in, apologized before briskly walking away. 

thomas was confused, and went to bed in a daze. although newt’s outburst helped him come to his senses and he agreed - the planning thereafter was easy. 

 

 **x. denial; reassurance**  
the next day, he went to the roof where brenda told him newt was. thomas found him, seated at the edge of the roof, and his heart almost fell out, thinking he was going to jump. 

carefully, thomas approached newt, fearing he'd scare him and that'd be the end for his dear friend. 

“hey.” thomas had said, so quietly it was probably a whisper. 

“hey,” newt answered, hand drifting to his wrist. thomas furrowed his eyebrows as his eyes followed the action. 

a beat of silence, much different from the one from the night before. it was a silence that spoke louder than words and thomas didn't want newt to speak. he didn't want to hear the truth. 

“tommy,” thomas stopped fiddling with his hands, and met newt’s eyes. “i’m not immune.” 

he let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and stared at newt’s wrist, where he'd clearly been infected. 

lady luck really hated thomas. of all the people in the world, of all the people in the glade, out of _everyone_ he knew, thomas had hoped - prayed that newt would be immune, just like the rest of them. 

his eyes went back and forth between the infection and newt’s face, searching for any signs of it being a prank. however, thomas knew better. 

swallowing nervously, thomas thought of what to say. unlike him, newt came prepared and continued talking, filling in the heavy atmosphere on the roof. 

“so sorry about last night, wasn't right in the head. the flare does that people, apparently.” now that he'd said the culprit’s name out loud, thomas knew for sure it was real. 

his nose started acting up, his heart _hurt_ , knowing that newt probably thought he wasn't going to make it. 

“newt,” thomas’ voice was hoarse, his mouth dry. “i’m going to find a cure and i _will_ save you. we’re going to happily ever after _together_.” 

he held eye contact with newt the whole time, ensuring his point was brought across. 

eyes shot downcast, towards the shops below and he knew what newt really wanted to say. 

“thanks, tommy.” newt gave a smile, looking more sad than hopeful and thomas felt his heart sink. 

when newt turned around, walking back to join the others, thomas brought him into the tightest hug he could muster. 

it was the first time he gave anyone a hug, the first time _they_ properly hugged. 

clearly taken by surprise, it took newt a few seconds to register what was happening, before he wrapped one arm around thomas’ waist, (his heart absolutely did _not_ skip a beat) pulling him closer. 

“am i… interrupting something?” they jumped apart immediately, both heads turning to the direction of the voice. 

brenda smirked, as if she knew something they didn't and walked down the stairs, informing them there was going to be a meeting to discuss the plan in five minutes. 

thomas flushed, embarrassed to have been caught and was relieved to see newt’s cheeks were in similar state, though less obvious. 

newt shrugged, nonchalantly saying, “we best be going then.” and then he was gone. 

groaning, he asked the sky once more about what the hell he was going to do about newt and left. realistically, all thomas _could_ do was hope, and pray that he'd be able to help newt get to paradise. 

 

 **xi. regret; delight**  
after joining forces with teresa, thomas was sure newt was giving him more glances. they were subtle, but he managed to catch newt every time. instead of getting embarrassed (thomas surely would have been if he was caught staring), newt merely chuckled, threw a lazy grin in his direction before returning to his own affair. 

it was ruining thomas. even back in the glade, he knew he liked newt more than a friend, but never got around into confessing because they had more important things to take care of. now, newt was infected and even though he wanted to save him - even though thomas _believed_ he could save him, it still hurt. knowing there was a chance - a possibility he didn't even want to think about that newt wouldn't make it made thomas want to throw up every time. so thomas pleaded, pleaded to every god or special entity out there in the cursed universe that newt would live, _please_. 

at last, a miracle happened - minho. they were together, as a trio again and thomas could see that newt was more than overjoyed to be reunited.

as usual, their happiness was short lived and they were forced inside a room with no way out other than _down_. throwing a glance at newt before the three of them held hands and jumped, thomas wondered if this is what he went through back in the maze. 

they escaped. they brought minho back with them to safety. it felt _great_ \- until it wasn't. 

 

 **xii. distress; helplessness; _love_**  
“get brenda - get the cure!” thomas had yelled over his shoulder to minho and gally, eyes never leaving newt’s slouched body on the ground. 

this absolutely could not be happening. newt heaved, breaths heavy as thomas dragged him back to where he knew the rest were waiting. collapsing on the floor, thomas rolled to newt’s side because _he would not let newt die_. they would leave the last city and escape to somewhere safe, to where their happiness awaited.

with tears welling into his eyes, thomas shook newt, preventing him from losing consciousness. 

newt rose then, just not the same. he reached for thomas’ gun and he never felt so desperate at that time, kicking it away and out of newt’s reach. 

“newt,” he heaved, trying to maintain his balance. “i _will_ get you cured, we will make it through this. i _promise_.” hearing his own voice crack at the last word made thomas’ tears fall. 

“tommy, you shouldn't make promises you can't keep.” newt was talking, he could still speak, there was hope. 

he brandished a knife, and ran towards thomas. 

“thomas, kill me. _kill me_ before i become one of them.” they fought, thomas dodging the knife, tuning out the inhuman roars at the same time. 

they were both crying now, impossibly pressed against each other, and thomas never stopped believing. 

he should've confessed, should've done all the things he could've done when newt was still human. now, newt was releasing a black liquid that thomas knew only come from those infected with the flare. if he was smarter, if he had been less of a coward, this kiss never would've been their first and _last_. 

“i-,” thomas broke away, it was disgusting to kiss a man who was turning into one of _them_ but he couldn't let another missed opportunity (and his last) slip from his hands again. 

“don't.” the hand holding the knife was loose and thomas could snatch it from newt. he couldn't, not when he was listening to every word he spoke. 

“thomas, you have to kill me.” thomas’ world fell apart then. the city was burning, buildings crashing down though it never felt like the _end_ , as long as newt was with him. 

thomas cried harder, and wished he could still hug newt. 

“please tommy,” 

he held his breath. 

“ _please_.” 

a whisper, one word that broke thomas’ heart. 

and just like that, the last shred of humanity newt was probably clinging onto left and they were back on the floor, knife grasped so tightly in newt’s hand that his knuckles turned white (though it was partly because he'd become one of them - a crank). 

thomas pulled newt up, struggling to reach for the knife, because teresa - god bless teresa, had mentioned that his blood could save newt and if there was even the _slightest_ chance he could give newt his humanity back, he was going to do it. 

he never got to finish listening to her message though, everything went silent, his ears ringing when the knife somehow found its way into newt. 

a breath got caught in his throat as newt collapsed out of thomas’ grasp. the thud that resounded was deafening, and it echoed relentlessly through thomas’ ears. 

letting out a shout, thomas ran, and never looked back. 

the tears stung, as he made his way back to where teresa was, in the wckd building. 

before his world went black, thomas thought of newt; his one sided grin, his limp, his _everything_ and then the plea that made thomas entire being hurt. his consciousness left him feeling emptier than ever. 

* * *

**xiii. peace**  
when thomas woke up and walked around the place he found himself in, he expected newt to be there to greet him. 

instead of that, he saw minho and the hug he was pulled into made thomas feel so _small_ and he melted into it, letting his worries wash away in that moment. 

paradise was something thomas had never imagined of, he never thought about what it could possibly look like, only thinking about how newt would be there - by his side. 

he let himself have fun, during the day, the celebration and the mourning of their past comrades. he let himself _forget_ and was forced to remember when minho handed him the necklace newt had given him. 

inside it, was a letter. two pages and thomas had to take a deep breath before reading it. trying his best not to cry without having even read the first word, he looked up at the night sky, filled with thousands of stars, thinking about how one of them could be newt. 

his eyes flickered back to the handwritten words and he read, not stopping once to take a break. 

**xiv. sorrow; grief; acceptance**  
there were tears in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks and thomas was certain that he was probably hundred percent tears at that point. if newt were here, he'd laugh at how hard he was bawling. 

(if newt were here, thomas wouldn't even be crying so hard.) 

he reread the same sentence over and over again, and let the tears fall. sure, every sentence, every word, every _letter_ was important but the one phrase that stuck out the _most_ , that made thomas lose it (he was doing so well, not a single drop had fallen yet) was just there. and his eyes kept going back to the same few words. 

> _from that moment you ran into the maze i knew i would follow you anywhere. if i could do it all over again, i would. and i wouldn’t change a thing._

okay, so it was three sentences, no big deal. it was basically the same with the way it broke thomas in half. 

“just ask me to die with you next time newt, it'd hurt less.” he croaked out to no one in particular, hoping newt was somewhere, watching over thomas. 

that night, he went to bed holding the necklace close to his heart (just to remind newt he was _there_ , for the both of them) and went to sleep sniffling. 

happily ever after didn't feel so _happy_ , without newt, but thomas would live on. he wouldn't let newt down, not again. there was also minho, brenda, frypan and everyone else to live for, newt would be proud to see thomas smiling again. 

as he watched the sun rise, coming above the ocean, thomas thought of newt and knew he was out there, watching the same sunrise with him. 

happily ever after wasn't the same, however when his fingers traced newt’s name carved on the stone, it felt _safe_. 

thomas smiled at the carved letters, whispering the unspoken words he’d held onto for so long. 

**xv. gratitude**  
_thank you for being my friend too, i love you._

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading if you did!! 
> 
> i saw the movie two weeks ago and just knew i had to contribute somehow because i wouldn't stop crying after newt's death. im proud to have seen all three movies in cinemas but this one impacted me the most for obvious reasons so im glad i managed to write this before my interest in tmr disappeared jfdjjs ill miss them :-(
> 
> feedback is appreciated since this is my first (possibly last - though i want to write more) fic for this series and pair, but of course not necessary! have a good day everyone :^)


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